Retreats

Welcome to Bellingham Insight

Bellingham Insight Meditation Society (BIMS) supports meditation and practice in the Buddhist Theravada
tradition. We do not have a single guiding teacher. Rather, we are a sangha-led community. We bring in
regional and national teachers, including monastics, for residential and non-residential retreats.
Our weekly programs are facilitated by senior members in coordination with our Board and Program Committee.

Insight meditation is a simple and direct practice, the moment-to-moment investigation of
the mind/body process through calm and focused awareness. Learning to observe experience
from a place of stillness enables one to relate to life with less fear and clinging. Seeing
life as a constantly changing process, one begins to accept pleasure, pain, fear, joy and all
aspects of life with increasing equanimity and balance. As insight deepens, wisdom and
compassion arise. This practice is sometimes called "vipassana", which is a Pali word for insight.

Our address is: Red Cedar Dharma Hall, 1021 N. Forest Street.

News

Jill Shepherd joins BIMS for Dharma Talks on Two Tuesdays in December

Dharma teacher Jill Shepherd, who led a well-received non-residential weekend retreat in Bellingham in 2016, will join BIMS by video conference from New Zealand for two Tuesday evenings, December 12th and 19th.

Jill will give Dharma talks after the 7:00 p.m. meditation period, on two subjects for which we have ongoing programs. On December 12th she will speak on aging as a spiritual practice, and on December 19th she will speak on the hindrances of sensual desire and ill will.

These talks are open to anyone.

Dana will be collected for support of Jill's teaching.

11/30/17

BIMS Study Groups - 1) Aging and 2) The Hindrances

BIMS currently has two ongoing study groups meeting during the 8 p.m. program hour after our Tuesday evening 7 p.m. meditation period. These groups are open to all, although regular attendance and following the current reading schedule is recommended to get the most benefit.

The first group is "Aging as a Spiritual Practice". It is discussing the application of Buddhist teachings to the experience of aging, illness and death, using topics from Older and Wiser: Classical Buddhist Teachings on Aging, Sickness, and Death by Mu Soeng, Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia and Andrew Olendzki.

The second group is reading and following the exercises for working with the five classic Buddhist hindrances to spiritual growth contained in Gil Fronsdal's book Unhindered.

We look forward to studying with you. Use the calendar to see the schedule for meeting dates of these groups.

11/28/17

Elementary Level Dhamma Studies

This curriculum is translated into English from the official Thai curriculum which is endorsed by the King of Thailand. You will ponder some Buddhist proverbs, learn (or relearn from a new perspective) words like “evil” (which from a Buddhist perspective means unskillful) or virtue (which actually means skill), or punna or that which cleanses the mind — or something exotic sounding like Bala or states of dhamma power. Overall it is a rich and fun introduction to some classic Buddhist teachings.

We will meditate, contemplate and share our insights. We will also do a little chanting and take precepts, for those who want to.

The organizational meeting will be on Sunday Oct. 1 at 10:00 at the Red Cedar Hall, with plans to meet once a month. If you are interested in attending please email dwmm@comcast.net